To the editor:
On the issue of universal health care, I believe that many people are focused on whether they want it and what the cost implications maybe. However, they are missing the bigger issue.
The ongoing Supreme Court case, Florida v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, points out one of my bigger concerns with the bill: It is unconstitutional for the federal government to mandate its citizens to purchase anything.
The way the bill is written, anyone who does not have some form of health care insurance would have to pay a tax as a form of punishment. Putting aside the argument that some people just do not want to invest in health insurance, it is unconstitutional for our government to force us to purchase something. Most Americans would prefer to use their hard-earned money in a way that they see fit, not how the government wants. The government cannot know if health care is the best way for families across the country to spend their money.
If a family is struggling to put food on their table, why should they be forced into buying something that is currently the least of their concerns? Also, if this happens, what is to stop the government from forcing us into buying other things? For example, will the government force me to buy a more expensive car because it gets better gas mileage or because they feel everyone needs a navigation system?
While it is true that health care is unique because mostly everyone will need it at some point in their lives, the way the bill goes about it is all wrong. The commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution allows the government to control the activity of interstate trade. However, because the bill mandates that anyone who does not purchase health insurance has to pay for it in taxes, the coverage, or lack there of, would be considered inactivity. And because the government cannot regulate something that doesn’t exist, they cannot mandate that we pay for a lack of health insurance through taxes.
It is possible that the Supreme Court will rule for or against the bill as a whole, or just against the mandate.
I personally do not think that universal health insurance is the best choice for this country. Maybe because I have health insurance I see it differently then someone without it, but what I do have a problem with is the Supreme Court creating a precedent that permits the government to dictate what the American people should purchase.
I am looking forward to what the Court decides because this could be a landmark case, that has far-reaching implications which may affect us all.
Alexis Cavallo
Hillsborough
